REVIEW: Jason Cook’s Comedy Club, The Customs House, South Shields

Vicki Newman

I’ve genuinely never laughed as much as I did at last night’s offering of Jason Cook’s Comedy Club.

I had tears in my eyes and could barely catch my breath between one all-consuming fit of giggles and the next.

Hebburn comic Jason has upped his game every time since the comedy club launched last year and the April show was, without a doubt, the best one yet.

Jason got his audience suitably revved up for his guests with hilarious tales of his recent holiday with the in-laws and by asking awkward questions of the maths teacher in the front row.

The educator’s ship surveying mate, who seemed to be the only person who hadn’t spotted the massive ship docked on the other side of the river, provided a running joke throughout the night that had everyone giggling.

Jason also used the night to announce the first ever South Tyneside Comedy Festival, which is set to kick off this July.

Gary Delaney

People seemed very excited by the news, and the queue at the box office during the interval spoke volumes – it was heart-warming to see people immediately getting behind the idea.

Last night’s show was kicked off by Rob Rouse.

The comic is a real story teller and has a knack for painting a sometimes disturbing mental picture.

Tales of his ‘housemates’ – his wife and two young children – were ridiculously funny.

Rob Rouse

He shared anecdotes from his life about everything from holding his daughter in the air at the side of the road while she relieves herself and regularly being joined by his son while he’s trying to have some ‘alone time’ in the bathroom.

A lot of his humour was based around the toilet habits of his children and himself, but it made for some side-splitting stuff.

He also gave a graphically-gruesome insight into what life is like for a man in his 40s, with a disturbingly-detailed description of the first time he received a certain medical examination.

He had everyone creased.

Lost Voice Guy

Lee Ridley was up next. The comic, better known as The Lost Voice Guy, offered something many people in the audience had never seen before.

In stand up comedy, being able to speak is probably the most important thing, but Lee, who has cerebral palsy, doesn’t let not having a voice stop him from making people laugh.

With the help of his trusty iPad, he treated the audience to a near-the-knuckle set that balanced precariously on the line between offensive and funny.

I think some people were a little unsure at first, but Lee doesn’t take himself too seriously. He poked fun at his life and his disability and let us know it was okay to laugh along with him.